MECHnology Visual Effects in Burbank, Calif. created nearly 400 visual effects shots for the new ABC Family superhero television series The Middleman. Based on the comic book series by Javier ‘Javi’ Grillo-Marxuach, the show follows the adventures of a temp agency worker who is recruited to fight such villains as the Terracotta Warrior and flying Peruvian pike fish.
Natalie Morales stars as Wendy Watson, who meets The Middleman (Matt Keeslar) and begins her training as the next Middleman, a crusader dedicated to ‘Fighting evil so you don’t have to.’ Working for a super-secret orgainization, they get their orders through Ida, an android disguised as a librarian.
The action in the show called for MECHnology to create such visuals as rocket boosters on Smart Cars, ancient temples, sorority ghosts and melting rays. Each episode averaged between 20 and 80 effects, with the artists at MECHnology delivering finished effects within five days of receiving the live-action plates. According to the studio, the artists had fun balancing reality with the comic-book styling that Grillo-Marxuach envisioned. In one scene, The Middleman’s headquarters goes into lockdown. MECHnology originally we added steel doors that slide down, covering every window and doorway outside the building. At the creator’s bidding, the concept was revised to involve giant, segmented steel panels that emerge from behind the building to completely seal it in.
‘Javier has the ability to reference any specific detail about any sci-fi movie or television show,’ says Stephen Lebed, Visual Effects Supervisor for The Middleman. ‘His love of all things sci-fi and comic related helped to guide us in driving the art.’
Lebed says one of the biggest challenges of working on the The Middleman was the sheer number of effects shots and extremely short turnarounds.’This series was one of the most challenging I’ve ever worked on from a time perspective,’ he notes. ‘Production started late due to the writer’s strike, causing everything on the back end to become compressed.’
We’re told that one of the more difficult shots is featured in the season finale. The episode finds Wendy in an alternate world decked with run-down monorails, giant video displays, and strange buildings. The hand-held shot lasts more than 30 seconds and required MECHnology to create the monorail and the distant skyscrapers in Autodesk 3ds Max. Compositing was done in combustion and Shake. Additional work completed for the series included various effect design, 3d modeling, character animations, digital matte paintings, set extensions, and rig removals.
The Middleman premiered on ABC Family on June 16 and wrapped its current run on Sept 1. Form more information on the show, go to ttp://abcfamily.go.com/abcfamily/path/section_Shows+Middleman/page_Detail.
Watch a reel of MECHnology’s effects work on The Middleman on AniMagTV.
Win a Funko X Lilo & Stitch Prize Pack! 